Montblanc Generation Rollerball Pen, Black (M13420)

by Montblanc

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B004BMSLD6
• Item model number: M13420
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,683 in Office Products (See Top 100 in Office Products)
  • #49 in Office Products > Educational Supplies > Writing & Correction Supplies > Pens & Refills > Stick Ballpoint Pens
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 22, 2004

Product Description

Rollerball made of black precious resin with platinum-plated rings with embossed logo and platinum-plated clip. Rollerball, could also be used with fineliner refill. Montblanc rollerball refills with stainless steel tip: black, blue, green, red.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cheap garbage. I can't believe this is a Mont Blanc, November 15, 2011

By 

Joel D. Lucoff "Lawyerboy7" (Fort Lauderdale) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Montblanc Generation Rollerball Pen, Black (M13420) (Office Product)

In 1998, I purchased a Mont Blanc Le Grande rollerball from Saks for $195.00. I know prices have gone up, but you also used to be able to buy a basic Mont Blanc ballpoint from Office Depot for about $110.00. Rollerballs aren't that much more. This rollerball isn't even close. It is made of cheap plastic. Clearly, Mont Blanc, at least for their lower end items, is producing pens made of cheap plastic. Mont Blanc appears to be headed the same way as Westinghouse. Westinghouse used to make great products but licensed its name to Chinese firms that make cheap garbage.

This Mont Blanc rollerball is nothing compared to what I have and I have owned a Mont Blanc fountain pen, a Le Grand rollerball, and a Starwalker rollerball. I have been extremely happy with all four. Unfortunately, I have lost or had stolen the Le Grand and the Starwalker. While it is the cartridges that provide most of the smooth, enjoyable writing, the case of the pen should not feel like cheap, lightweight plastic.

I gave a higher rating to an alternate history book that looks like it was edited and proofread by monkeys.

Remember there are a LOT of manufacturers of fine pens, e.g., Waterman, Recife, Sheafer, Pelikan, Pilot, and Lamy. For $200.00, you can do quite well with any of the other brands. Look under office products, writing instruments, rollerball.

Do NOT waste your money with this cheap garbage.

To follow-up and clarify, I compared this pen to previous Mont Blanc pens I have owned. I have owned and inspected, with the intent to purchase, lower-end Mont Blanc pens. While I do not expect a $200 pen to be of the same quality as my almost $400 starwalker (which I found), I expect the quality of the pen rewiewed here to be similar to what I previously owned.

The casing of this pen is lighter, thinner, and of an inferior quality than what I am used to.

If you simply want a Mont Blanc pen, then by all means, purchase this one. If you want a fine writing implement for around $200-$250, there are other better options.

NOTE: I purchased this pen on Nov. 7, 2011, for $170 with a gold box discount ($30 off). The pen is now $280.00.

I do not expect this pen to be of the same quality as a more expensive Mont Blanc rollerball, but I did expect this pen to be of similar quality to what Mont Blanc produced less than a decade ago.

Second follow-up
Having to replace my Ipad2 because my son dropped it (I guess at least partly my fault for procrastinating on buying a cover), I went to a Mont Blanc store at Dadeland Mall in Miami. I asked to see both a standard fountain pen and rollerball.

Based on the pens that I viewed and held, Mont Blanc across the board now makes their pens much lighter. The only way to get a Mont Blanc pen with any weight is to purchase one with a gold or silver cap which adds a lot to the cost.

I think it's time to start looking at some of the other luxury pen manufacturers in the marketplace.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Aweful quality, November 8, 2011

By 

Montblanc Generation - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Montblanc Generation Rollerball Pen, Black (M13420) (Office Product)

This product was what I ordered and arrived in one day, which is why I gave it two stars. However, when I opened the package I was shocked by the poor quality of a pen that someone would charge $200 for. My first thought was that it was a Chinese knock off, but then realized I had bought it directly from Amazon, so that was highly unlikely. I just couldn't believe how shoddy this thing was. If you want a cheap pen with an expensive name than go for it, but there was no way I was going to hold on to this thing. I paid shipping to return it, and didn't thing twice about it. In fact, this is my first return on something that wasn't broken. There's just no way I would pay more than $20 for this thing.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I've never heard of one, January 13, 2012

By 

Pi "Pi" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Montblanc Generation Rollerball Pen, Black (M13420) (Office Product)

Just a little sanity here. People keep saying "oh, priced right for a gift!" because it's "cheap" for a Montblanc. Well, call me a hick, but I've never heard of a "Montblanc" pen. Apparently they are the shiz. However, if you are considering this for a gift, be sure the person you are buying it for needs it (for the status it apparently conveys) and doesn't just need a good pen (which you could purchase more of, or even purchase refill cartridges for). If YOU want the status pen, buy all means buy it, I like a few brand name things myself, so no judgements there. However, I don't know a whole lot of college kids who want a pen more than say, money towards some electronic gadget. I gotta ask though, what is the special "black resin" that they tout? 'cause it sounds like plastic to me. If this thing is guaranteed to never get lost it might be worth it, but geez, I'd be afraid to take it out of the box (which rather defeats the purpose).